Nanjing Zhongshan Botanical Garden

Nanjing Zhongshan Botanical Garden

Nanjing Zhongshan Botanical Garden is China’s first national botanical garden, established in 1929. It was formerly known as the “Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Botanical Garden.” Located at the southern foot of the Purple Mountain near the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, it is one of the commemorative structures of the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum. Built in 1929, it suffered severe damage multiple times due to war and turmoil. In 1954, it was officially approved by the Government Administration Council of the Central People’s Government and named Nanjing Zhongshan Botanical Garden. It has since become a base for plant science research, sightseeing, and the popularization of botanical knowledge in China. In 1954, the East China Workstation of the Institute of Plant Taxonomy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, took over and rebuilt Nanjing Zhongshan Botanical Garden. It came under the administration of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and was renamed the Nanjing Zhongshan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, initiating an integrated management system where the botanical garden and research institute shared one location. In 1970, it was placed under the leadership of Jiangsu Province, and in 1993, it adopted a dual leadership structure by both Jiangsu Province and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Nestled within the national-level Purple Mountain Scenic Area in the eastern suburbs of Nanjing, Nanjing Zhongshan Botanical Garden spans 186 hectares. Backed by the lush and majestic Purple Mountain, it faces the shimmering Qianhu Lake, borders the ancient and magnificent Ming city wall, and stands in view of the world-renowned Dr. Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum. The garden enjoys a mild climate and lush vegetation, integrating mountain, water, city, and forest into a naturally stunning landscape. It is not only a uniquely charming tourist destination but also a fascinating botanical kingdom.

Over the past seventy years, through the unremitting efforts of several generations of botanists, Nanjing Zhongshan Botanical Garden has developed into a renowned comprehensive modern botanical garden that integrates scientific research, public education, and tourism. As a research center for plants in central and northern subtropical China, the garden preserves over 3,000 plant species; features 10 specialized gardens (zones); houses a collection of 700,000 specimens; and includes a decorative plants center, medicinal plants center, plant information center, key laboratory for plant ex-situ conservation, and the largest plant specimen museum in East China. Since the 1980s, the garden has actively engaged in international exchanges and cooperation, maintaining seedling, specimen, and literature exchange relationships with over 600 institutions in more than 60 countries. It established China’s first international sister botanical garden relationship with the Missouri Botanical Garden in the United States, whose director—Dr. Peter Raven, a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences—was appointed Honorary Director of Nanjing Zhongshan Botanical Garden. The garden also fostered friendly relations with the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden in Canada and the University of Tokyo Botanical Garden in Japan. It was among the first botanical gardens in China to join the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and serves as a member of the IUCN’s Threatened Plants Committee. The garden successfully hosted the first international symposium on botanical gardens in Asian history as well as the 11th Congress of the International Association of Botanic Gardens.

Covering a total area of over 2,800 acres, currently only about 1,800 acres of Nanjing Zhongshan Botanical Garden are open to the public—the North Garden, located north of Taipingmen Road. The South Garden, south of Taipingmen Road, remains largely undeveloped. The second phase of the Zhongshan Botanical Garden project aims to “unearth” the previously overlooked South Garden. This phase will cover more than 630 acres and include four major components: a lawn and ground-cover plants exhibition area, the country’s largest aquatic wetland plants exhibition area (including water feature displays), exhibition greenhouses, and production preparation greenhouses. The total investment for the project is 150 million RMB. Construction will officially begin in November this year and is expected to take approximately two years. It is reported that upon completion, the South Garden Phase II will be an open botanical park. While venues such as the exhibition greenhouses will charge admission, other areas including Qianhu Lake will be free and open to the public.

Blending garden aesthetics with scientific significance, Nanjing Zhongshan Botanical Garden is one of China’s four major botanical gardens and a national-level science education base. It is also one of the “Forty-Eight Scenic Spots of Jinling,” known as the “Botanical Wonderland,” attracting over 300,000 domestic and international visitors each year.

Address: No. 1, Houcun, Qianhu, Outside Zhongshan Gate, Xuanwu District, Nanjing

Type: Botanical Garden

Recommended Visit Duration: 3–6 hours

Phone: 025-84347128; 025-84347036

Official Website: http://www.cnbg.net/

Opening Hours:

North Garden & South Garden North Gate: May 1 – October 7, 8:30–17:30; October 8 – next year April 30, 8:30–17:00. South Garden East Gate: Open from March 20 – May 20 and September 20 – November 20, during the same hours as the South Garden North Gate.

Ticket Information:

North Garden Adult Ticket: 15 RMB; South Garden Adult Ticket: 45 RMB

Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925), also known as Wen, courtesy name Zaizhi, art names Jixin and Yixian, childhood name Dixiang, alias Zhongshanqiao, often used Zhongshan as his name. Born into a farming family in Cuiheng Village, Xiangshan County (now Zhongshan City), Guangdong Province. In his youth, influenced by the revolutionary traditions of the people of Guangdong, he aspired to the revolutionary cause of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. He was a pioneer of China’s modern national democratic revolution, a great forerunner of the Chinese democratic revolution, the founder of the Republic of China and the Kuomintang, an advocate of the Three Principles of the People, and the creator of the Five-Power Constitution. He was the first to raise the banner of complete opposition to feudalism... More details about Sun Yat-sen ++